Wearables
Wearables set to revolutionise the route to sporting success
Over the last 20 years technology has altered the way sport across the world is played and officiated. For example, tennis and cricket have each embraced video technology to challenge disputed decisions like line-calls and run-outs, and television referees have been an undisputed success in both rugby league and rugby union to assist the on-field official to make the correct decision when allowing a try.
Flexible haptic actuator suited for wearables
KEMET and Novasentis have together announced a collaboration to develop next-gen Electro-Mechanical Polymer (EMP) film based haptic actuators for wearable devices. Novasentis will provide the core technology and haptic actuator film while KEMET will develop the manufacturing process for the final assembly.
Ultrasound could transform your hands into a touchscreen
Using your skin as a touchscreen has been brought a step closer after UK scientists successfully created tactile sensations on the palm using ultrasound sent through the hand. The University of Sussex-led study - funded by the Nokia Research Centre and the European Research Council – is the first to find a way for users to feel what they are doing when interacting with displays projected on their hand.
Wearable sweat sensor works without battery
Plants and trees soak up water in the soil by letting it vaporise through pores in the leaves. Scientists at TU/E have now taken this principle to develop a sweat sensor through which the sweat itself flows at a steady rate and is analysed. Using laser micro-manufacturing, they made minuscule structures in flexible plastic and integrated a small analytic chip. Their work overcomes an important hurdle towards the development of flexible sweat sens...
Biometrics strike at the heart of Major League Baseball
As part of the increasing level of integration of technology within real time sporting environments, Major League Baseball (MLB) in the US, has approved two wearable devices for use during this season’s games.
Detecting human activity on mobile and wearable devices
To aid the development of motion sensing applications, STMicroelectronics has introduced three additions to its Open.MEMS portfolio of free and software libraries.
Smartwatch helps you protect yourself from environmental threats
GNS is pleased to announce the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for Fitti Guard, a new generation of fitness and environmental tracker. Fitti Guard is the first environmental sensing and protection device that you can wear on your wrist.
Thermoplastic elastomer achieving a foothold in wearables
Several companies in the wearables sector have employed Royal DSM’s Arnitel thermoplastic elastomer for soft straps, according to the science-based company – these include Samsung for its latest Galaxy Gear S2 smartwatch.
3rd gen of child tracking watch uses GNSS technology
Qihoo 360 has launched a third generation of child-tracking watches, developed again in collaboration with u-blox. Kids Guard 3S, a personal tracker in a tiny and colourful watch format, is designed to monitor the whereabouts of children. "We wanted to offer a high performance tracking solution, accurate enough to reassure parents worried of their child’s whereabouts, as child abduction is a serious concern in China.
Fitness trackers works for people with disabilities
Rehabilitation scientist Dan Ding, University of Pittsburgh’s Human Engineering Research Lab, is building algorithms that track activity and calorie expenditure for the mobility-impaired and wheelchair-bound. That means equipping wheelchair-bound study subjects with armbands or wrist watches that use accelerometers to record upper body and arm movements as well with "portable metabolic carts" that use a specialised mask that fits over the n...